i want this...

the Nude Painter...

Why hello friends...
It's the afternoon on a Monday and I am in a good mood! I have recently cut out caffeine from my life (okay since this morning)...and it feels like weeks. I drank decaf today, and I despise it. We'll see how long it lasts. Life has been good...lots of being busy at work with some busy on the side. My website should be up very soon...I worked on it all weekend and I am liking it alot!

So let me explain something to you...something i've always said I would do if my jobs all fell through. i would be the "Nude Painter"...no I wouldn't paint people in the nude... i would actually be nude while painting. Picture this...a loft in Los Angeles...soft music playing in the background, Diana Krall perhaps...cracked windows, hanging white lights. I would serve wine and those tiny crackers with cheese and people could look at the gallery. People would have to dress up...i'm talking black and white, invitation only. I would be painting and at the end of the night people would bid on the artwork. Imagine how big it would get..."oh where is this painting from"...oh that's the Nude Painter...you haven't heard of her?! The possibilities are endless...

Tis Earth Hour...

Tass and Lauren...this one's for you and your greenery! :)

life lesson #7...

Scare people often....it's good for their heart.

scaring the sister


scaring a sister part III. .

"What bums you out Steph?"

A man asked me this very question 3 days ago...and for once I found myself stumbling over my words. I stared at him and said...wow, not much really. It did get me thinking though...far more things make me happy than bum me out. A small list:

Things I find great joy in:
1. the sound of my parents laughing when they watch the Andy Griffith show.
2. the way Krys' head shakes and no sound comes out of her mouth when i made her laugh hard.
3. words. They make me laugh. Tonight someone said the word "behemoth" and i laughed for a solid minute.
4. watching people do something they absolutely love doing...or hearing them talk about it.
5. stories of travels...i could listen to that for hours.
6. making up dances with friends.
7. "first word that comes to your mouth!" (you shout this phrase and point at friends, until a word or sound is forced from their mouth"
8. sourdough toast with lots of butter and black coffee in the mornings. I love to make the perfect teeth bite in the toast.
9. sucking the candy shell off of the M & M and then squishing the soft chocolate with my tongue.
10. sleepy voices.
11. designing and photography...but most of all being inspired to try something new, and wanting to drop everything and do it right then.
12. music...oh wow, i love lyrics...they pour straight into my soul and make my bone marrow happy.


Things that bum me out:
1. when people talk during a song I want them to really GET, when they don't truly listen to the meaning of the song.
2. people with negative attitudes.
3. when cookies have tons of frosting on them. i scrape it off.
4. when I go to unplug my computer and hit my head on my desk.
5. when I have to pay 1400 dollars out of pocket to get my gums sliced open for wisdom teeth removal.
6. when people intentionally put down others and I can't be there to say anything or put them in their place.

Smoke break...

swirling billows of vanilla smoke
beer mugs sloshing with the thickest of foam
the ace of spades slides against the wet table
echoing curse words
amplified through speaker cables
slow motion exhales
and the poker chip flies
this only happens once
don't close your eyes

The cure for life lesson #6?

this is a eye pillow from a company in Japan...looks like a large piece of poop. I'm pretty sure when i am restless, tossing and turning... that thing will not stay in place. haha thanks Krys!

i am so excited for the next month....for the next couple months. I am very happy.

Second chances...

Love and security are uncertain...we take it for granted when it's readily available. Let go of a hand, watch them fall...pick them up because you care... not because they deserve it. When things get better... you'll be glad you did it. Now you have strength to make it through anything.

A preview of Fall 08 comps, it'll go live mid April...it's an amazing line, with ridiculously hot coats/jackets:

happy Steph...

I love my job...i love waking up every morning and doing what I consider "a hobby"...it's the best feeling in the world.

In looking at my calendar today I realized the next free weekend I have is May 10th. Crazy!! Upcoming things...

- Fall Line live mid april
- shooting Walk the Walk fashion show in Virginia Beach
- reDesign WTW site
- product shots for a Vodka company in LA
- shoot 3 Hour Tour
- shoot X Games Motocross in San Diego
- Texas trip (scheduling photoshoots there)

it's all pretty exciting. Life is good.

Life lesson #6...

If you are a person that suffers from OTS (Obsessive Thought Syndrome) picture a black sheet or curtain (i have found that black velvet curtain is most affective) prior to falling asleep. if you're lucky it will work. I have been suffering from this condition for years now and it's only gotten worse in my old age...i will be 25 in may. It's a dangerous syndrome.... It rules my nightlife and takes precious hours of slumber away each night. It takes me and hour-1 and 45 minutes to fall asleep each night. I have always wondered what it would be like to say, "my head hit the pillow and I was out like a light" that has never once happened to me. But I'm telling you, velvet curtains will be your best friend.

Get it?

it's like closing your eyes in a pitch black room....you have to trust your senses in complete darkness. make damn sure you can't see a hand in front of your face even if you opened your eyes. all you hear is heavy breathing...your own, and maybe someone else's.

You only see what I can't hide...

yeah that's Kareem Abdul Jabbar. haha

my thighs hurt.

why do i build walls around me?

i shed a few tears when i saw Lauren's art portfolio.

if i let people past the wall do i let them walk all over me?

i forget to eat lately. except for that Hershey's kiss 5 seconds ago.

i don't give up easily.

i think soul mates are real.

i chewed an entire pack of Juicy Fruit gum in about 30 minutes yesterday.

i had a pina colada for lunch today.

why do some songs pierce my heart so much?

i am persistent.

i thank God for the friends that have come into my life right now

my legs always are bouncing under my desk.

living true will eventually make you happy even if it's hard at the time.

i bought 3 pairs of shorts today.

Monday morning lyrics...

You say there's nothing wrong with being proud
So tell me what you love and say it loud
I've been good enough to stay and hear you out
But you're wrong
You're never wrong
You say there's nothing wrong with being proud
so tell me what you love and say it loud
I've been giving you the benefit of the doubt

Happy Saturday to me...

wow it's a good one.

I am going to santa monica for the weekend to get away for awhile. Good lord I need a vacation, something....ANYTHING.

James 1:19 "But let every man be quick to listen, slow to speak and slow to anger."

I am working on the last one.

Boots with the furrrr?

A good friend once told me...

"Excitement holds hands with disappointment and joy flirts with heartache."

She is a genius.

a Thursday night in Weho: I'm right in the middle of dynamite.

Boob Song...

there's so much to share today...i couldn't pass this one up. Thanks Maggie Maggie! <3 Priscilla Ahn...SO TALENTED...listen for the kazoo part, it's my fave.

The perfect Friday @ work...

Hello from an iphone! so it's the 2nd day of spring and it feels like summer, I love it. I am currently in shorts and a tank top sitting in front of my office with a smoothie that I got earlier this morning with a pal... The sun is beating down on my white body and it feels good to burn and be alive. I think everyone should have Fridays like this...during lunch break go get a piña colada by the beach, drive with the windows down, sit outside and smell the ocean. I feel bad for those of you who are not in smelling distance of the ocean. I had such a great night last night...refreshing if you will. Its great meeting new people! Time to get back to designing some fall layouts and listening to john cougar mellancanp. Good day friends!

life lesson #5...

if you are angry with the world and feel like taking it out on an unsuspecting stranger in a laundromat, always carry 1 unwashed red sock with you...throw it into a load of whites when no one is looking. run off.

(if you do this...you are horrible and should be destroyed).

life lesson for unsuspecting stranger: make the best of it, pink's your color.

the Gym vs. Cakies...

So today was a Ferris kinda day...actually I just worked from home and then went to the gymnasium with Trink, I realized I am skinny but I am not in the best shape for summer...or life for that matter. The time is now. After working out we went back to her apt. listened to Ani DiFranco (who I am going to see in April!) and made "cakies"...cookies/cake, they are cookie shaped cakes. They were delicious, but why we ate them after working out I will never know. It was good times and a good day.

Krys...a message for you, yes that was about NINI!!! hilarious huh? I get inspiration from the strangest of things.

Now I must depart, I am leaving to meet the girls for dinner then the Palms. Have I ever mentioned I love artsy people...they inspire me daily.

life lesson #4...

when eating a sausage from the market always check for rocks or small pebbles prior to biting down...it could cause a tooth to chip. Side Note: make the sausage factory pay you for the quoted price from your local dentist then go to mexico to get it fixed. Always try to make an extra buck.

Working from home...

Working from home is what one does when the internet has been down at your workplace for 3 days. I had a meeting yesterday with a company who wants me to start shooting/designing with them. It was a great meeting and I found out that some of their clients are ESPN, the Lakers, X Games, Billabong and Oakley...pretty exciting! I am shooting a Lakers event for them this sunday and the X Games (Motocross) this Summer! So I shall give you a work update for today since some of you wonder what i do, well i design stuff like this: (click the pics to check the sites out)

1. GIRLS SUMMER SITE IS UP




2. ARCHIVE SITE IS UP




3. Walk the Walk site is updated




4. FEATURED PRODUCT




5. MAIN PAGE




6. Fall 08 has to go live by May 1st, I am starting on comps today for that line. And sometimes we just take this on adventures:)

life lesson #3...

if you are on a cliff, and someone keeps pushing you closer and closer to the edge...eventually you will fall off. Sometimes you catch a break and grab a limb on your way down the cliff. Now it's your choice and your choice alone to keep climbing back to the top to try again...only to be pushed over once more. But you're persistent, you try yet again. Once more...catching a limb, lucky you. At some point you have to make a decision...

1. climb up and try again while knowing that there is a possibility that you may or may not be pushed again. Each time hoping this will be the "may not" time.

2. let go. fall to the ground...if you make it and you're still alive...dust yourself off and walk away.

3. don't stand near the edge of cliffs.

it's simple really.

if you like Rachael Yamagata...or pina coladas.

last night the girls went out. i sat on the floor at hotel cafe practically at rachael's feet...as it should be. The new songs are pretty great, she played a lot of new ones and they are more hmmm...chick rock. it felt like she was playing in my living room...the late shows are always so laid back. enjoy the vid. tomorrow night i am hitching a ride with the girls and going to a concert at the Palms in weho. So many great things are going on for work I almost can't keep up with it...my brain goes 90mph. One day at a time! :)

picture this...

crisp LA night.... A loft window is open and live music spills out, "if I could take you away"... Smooth raspy vocals in between the brick walls of the hotel cafe, I am standing in line outside for the 10:30 show and am soaking in the surrounding conversation and night air. It's a good night to be alive. Plus I just bought a homeade poetry booklet from a street peddler, hopefully the shirts inside aren't more than 20 bucks.

Title-less.

tell me the stars are made of tin and they're falling on your roof.

I just got back from LA...for a quick morning drive to drop the parental units off at the airport to go to Hawaii for a week, without me! I looked into flying over for the weekend but was bummed to find out it was 1200 dollars...so I decided to pass. I will be driving to LA again tonight to meet up with friends for the Rachael Yamagata concert which I am super stoked about. Then going back to LA Thursday night for another concert with the gang and then spending the weekend in Santa Monica to meet up with the guys for dinner and then I got asked to shoot a Lakers event Sunday night which is pretty random and awesome. Don't you just love run on sentences? I am finally giving in and going to the doctor....i hate the doctor mostly because I like to do things on my own. Horrible flaw. As a child i despised group projects because I ended up doing the entire thing. Good day.

2:19am

Isn't it weird how things can change so abruptly and you're left there after it all settles in... and you just have to say...WHAT THE HECK HAPPENED?!

life is so unpredictable...one minute you can be saving for a house, the next you're doing 1 handed pushups with the uncertainty of life sitting on your back... so unpredictable...but then again, that's why i love it so much. go with the flow, one day at a time, enjoy the friends...it just is what it is.

life lesson #2...

If you decide to walk 3 dogs on a busy street do not put your rollerskates on...you have no control and will fall in the intersection.

word of the day: idiosyncrasy

it's Friday...it HAD to be done...

Scuzz, Evan and I....and the ball of my hat.

life lesson #1...

don't sit down to pee when you have stuff in your back pocket, a credit card could fall into the toilet.

word of the day: obtuse

Live music on a yacht...

So I am shooting the next 3 Hour Tour on a yacht in Newport Beach. I am really stoked on the lineup this time around...check out the artists (Tryone Wells, Amber Rubarth and Ernie Halter to name a few). Also my friend from Portland is coming down and I finally get to meet her and have some coffee (or black tea).

Some events I have coming up, in no particular order:

1. This Saturday: O'Hurley Artshow.
2. April 24th: flying to Virginia Beach to shoot a fashion show for that weekend.
3. 2nd weekend in April: NYC trip or Philly for....headshots.
4. May 4th: 3 Hour Tour
5. Just got an email from my coworker's manager who is hiring me to shoot an event
6. Rachael Yamagata concert this tuesday.

and that's all side stuff. Work is still busy, but hey...i like being busy. I am going to bed early tonight:)

my photos in O'Hurley Artshow...

This saturday night from 6-10pm at the Hurley Headquarters we will be showcasing a bunch of art from your very own Hurley employees! One giant party...I'll be there shooting. Wear green!

Wow. Just WOW.

sometimes we scream to get it all out and laugh at ourselves because we cannot scream, it feels good. enjoy.

In studio with Confide...love those boys. Me and my sarcastic faces.

a mild case of..

stress.

This week has been insane, and I am excited for the weekend since...well wait, I have to work 2 events this weekend and had 6 meetings today, I wish I was exaggerating with the whole number 6 thing. The only reason I am blogging is because I feel like if I don't get it out somewhere or somehow I may fall over and sleep...which i couldn't possibly do that. I just got home from work, yes at 8pm only to do tax paperwork for my tax appt. Thursday. My Futura font is not working on my computer (which is the main font we use for the website), and I got a new mac tower and 2 screens at work...all of which need to be cleared off in the morning before I can even start any work that I did not get to do today because I was in meetings. All of my work from my laptop needs to be transfered over along with all of the design software I use. Once my computer gets taken care of I will feel a little better...also on to of that, my old work email was deleted and trying to get my Hurley email has taken longer than usual to get since the studio I work at is across the street from Hurley...so trying to get emails from people is a pain and now my new work email will not be accessible through my iPhone until June...unless someone out there knows a special trick. Where are you iPhone magicians...?

I have an interview tomorrow for a new creative web director...and 2 other meetings, I am ready to start a new week. One day I will be ahead:) But until then...I plan on drinking lots of coffee, lots of all nighters with Lynda.com and cookies and milk. I'm probably gonna get fat again, just so you know. Actually my plan next week is to buy a gym pass, I can't wait to be in shape again...all of this stress makes me forget that I am hungry, I have to set an alarm on my phone to reminds me i need lunch. just remembered I have to submit artwork for an artshow I am in at Hurley Saturday night, I have nothing prepared haha. okay this entry sounds like one giant poop on a stick...but i am going to stay up late tonight til everything personal is finished and then read and pray. "Tomorrow is a new day with no mistakes in it yet"...one day at a time:) It's the only thing that helps a little, oh and black coffee, duh.

a Pashmina kinda night...

Pashmina: my second favourite word. The first one is obvious.

I love my friends. I love that they are born and have birthdays, and that we eat 700 dollars worth of sushi and take over entire sushi bars, and make friends with the elderly and sing numerous rounds of happy birthday (the last one being the slowest and most drawn out happy birthday song ever). Of course their were michael scott harmonies. There were quail egg/octopus shots involved, lingering at bowling allies, pashmina's and what i like to call "iPhone text races"...where people try to challenge me at typing John 3:16 via text with one finger, I am still the champion. What can I say...I'm fast. Good times all the times.

A time change...

if you were the paper
i would've ripped you to shreds
if i were the ink
you would've rather used lead
if i were the drug
you would've come clean
if you were the window
i'd be a broken screen

i am your gray mittens
in the middle of august
you are the hole
in my coin filled pocket
i am the film
in your digital life
i was in the wrong place
and you had the wrong time

a list of weapons...

for people who may feel unsafe. in no particular order.

1. ninja star(s)

2. sledgehammer

3. spiked sceptor axe

4. pistol and/or shotgun

5. cat of 9 tails

6. nunchucks

7. "spiked ball & chain swingy thingy" aka: "spiked ball mace"

8. normal axe

9. medieval swords and daggers

10. bow and arrow (accompanied with green hat and red feather, obvii)

what would you want to pull out from under your bed if an unwanted intruder made his way into your home to steal your musical equipment?

Fly Fishing...

put your hook into my skin
pull me to the surface
you'll have your way with me then
tell me it was worth it
take your knife
and cut my throat
i've stopped breathing
but that's not what hurt most
you have the best bait
you always did
i thought i knew better
but i couldn't resist

I have insomnia, it's a self diagnosis...don't worry about it. Japanese Udon Noodles are gone from Pei Wei, and their brown rice tastes like cardboard and seeds, i kinda like it a little.

Avril's Atonement...

many things
i hold inside
i've kept undercovers
in between sheets at night
my dreams hit the ceiling
and bounce off walls
light in my window
shadows stand tall
oh to be a shadow
product of illumination

Today we went over to record in the Hurley Studio...yes I sang on Confide's upcoming album...I'm really stoked on our bands, if you're into deep screams...Confides your band...if you're into high screams, Greeley Estates is your band. If you're into some awesome vocals, Covette's your band...they wrote a lot of their songs with a great guy/ musician named Jonah Matranga. Take a listen.

Brains.

Brains are a funny thing...mine won't stop racing, ever. Today more than usual. Last night I was up til 4am only to wake up at 8am to the craziest day I've had in awhile. Things have been going great, I have nothing to complain about, it just seems like right when you're doing okay something happens to test you...to see how you react to it. I don't really want to get into much now but let me focus on the good things that happened out of today:

1. I got my own office, which is much bigger.
2. I got a raise.

I love being challenged and right now more than ever, I need to be soaking up every ounce of knowledge I can get to better myself in my career because opportunity for advancement I have realized is around every corner, I also realize that things can be taken away from you so quickly...one day at a time. So lynda.com and ImSteph.com are going to be best friends for A LONG time.

on another note...here is my new (undecorated) office...:) 2 coffee's, duh.

And it's been 12 days...

Here I am, back in the swing of things. Figuring stuff out, in the process of eliminating negative from my life, and nurturing my soul...mostly with chocolate twists. I feel better....like I am making progress and it feels good, and this donut makes things better too. Being negative or complaining is not worth it (i realize sometimes we have our days), it's horrible to surround yourself with people that always have something dramatic or negative to say. It's been 12 days since I've been on here, funny those 12 days felt like months. I am happy to report several things:

1. I got rachael yamagata tickets for a tiny show at the Hotel Cafe.
2. I went to a Piston vs Clippers game and sat in amazing seats thanks to Kristen.
3. I am swamped at work...keeping busy designing things, and taking photos, i love it.
4. in the last 12 days i have been drinking 3-5 cups of coffee a day...it finally caught up with me.
5. i have been reading and praying more.

and here is where i write what comes to my brain. I think I am going to go on a weekend creative trip sometime within the next month, I am not sure where...maybe Portland, maybe Seattle...or maybe NYC. It'll be short and sweet, i need adventure. I need to get a passport. who's Nora? i can finally put my hair in a pony tail and it's pretty long. when it starts staying lighter longer i am gonna run...hard and fast, probably for a day then get over it. I need to finish a wedding book. I might be going to England for work the end of this summer. I need to finish my website by the end of this month. With the tax return I get I promised myself I was gonna buy new camera equipment. I shot levi smith this last weekend in LA (some behind the scenes while recording their upcoming album) but i need to schedule a time to shoot with them in summer, and also a band called Porter Davis. Summer line is about to go up on Hurley.com and gotta start designing the Fall 08 layout for next month. i need to catch up from the last 12 days. i saw Semi Pro...kept me entertained, but it's getting to the point where they are all the same just different sport (ice skating, race car drivers, dodgeball, ping pong) boring. I got a bunch of new (old) records to add to my preexisting collection of Air Supply, Journey, Chicago, Stevie Nicks and the sweet comfort band. I am going to go work on my taxes now. Goodbye.